DOVER, Del. – A career-high 29 points from
Toby Nnadozie was not enough as Coppin State's men's basketball team was edged by Delaware State, 83-79, on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Hall. The Eagles fell to 5-22 overall and 3-9 in the MEAC while the Hornets improved to 15-12 on the year and 7-5 in league play.
Checking the Box Score
- Nnadozie led three Eagles in double figures and all players in scoring, hitting 13-of-18 from the floor with a pair of 3-pointers. He also finished with four rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.
- Julius Ellerbe III posted a double-double with 16 points and ten rebounds to go with six assists and two steals.
- Khali Horton also finished in double digits with 14 points, and he was followed by Derrius Ward with eight, Peter Oduro with six, Camaren Sparrow with four and Cam'Ron Brown with two.
- Ward, Brown and Zahree Harrison all had two assists with Brown matched Nnadozie and Ellerbe with two steals.
- Coppin shot an impressive 57.1% from the floor compared to 53.3% for the Hornets but DSU made 14-of-19 free throws compared to 7-of-10 for the Eagles.
- The Eagles committed 19 turnovers which led to 25 DSU points.
How it Happened
- Nnadozie scored the first basket of the game, but Delaware State led the rest of the way despite a valiant comeback effort from the Eagles.
- The Hornets put together a 16-2 run to go up 25-11 at the 10:48 mark, but Coppin came right back with a 19-5 run, tying the score at 30 after a three by Horton with 3:26 left in the first.
- DSU responded with nine-straight points which included a pair of threes before Ward hit a free throw with 1:07 left to make it a 39-31 score at the break.
- With 8:07 remaining in regulation, the Hornets built their lead back to 66-54 following a three-point play before the Eagles took DSU down to the wire.
- Highlighted by a three-point play by Ellerbe and a Dunk by Nnadozie, Coppin made it a two-point game at the 2:53 mark.
- The Hornets scored the next six points, extending the lead to 78-70 with just over two minutes remaining.
- Ellerbe answered with a three and Nnadozie followed with two-straight layups to cut it to 78-77 with 49 ticks left.
- DSU hit a pair of free throws at the other end, and the Eagles turnover the ball over on the ensuing possession.
- A bad pass gave Coppin back the ball with 23 seconds remaining, but Coppin was unable to get a whistle on a layup attempt.
- The Eagles were forced to foul, and the Hornets once again made both free throws to make it a five-point game.
- Ellerbe went right down the floor for a quick layup but DSU sealed it with a free throw with six seconds to go.
Up Next: Coppin closes the regular season at home against Maryland Eastern Shore (Mar. 3) and Morgan State (Mar. 6) before the MEAC Tournament in Norfolk, Va., on March 12-15.
